February 3 - GOD Must be Regarded as Holy

Reading

Lev. 8:1-10:20

Devotional

When the tabernacle and all of its furnishings and the clothes for the priests were completed, Moses raised up the tabernacle. Moses brought Aaron and his sons before the entire congregation at the tabernacle and put the priestly clothes on them. Aaron and his sons were told to remain inside the tabernacle for seven days.

On the eighth day, all the congregation of Israel gathered around the tabernacle.

Numerous animals were killed and sacrificed before all the congregation of Israel. Moses told the people, "This is the thing which the LORD commanded you to do, and the glory of the LORD will appear to you." (Lev. 9:6) At the conclusion of the numerous animal sacrifices, we read:

Then Aaron lifted his hand toward the people, blessed them, and came down from offering the sin offering, the burnt offering, and peace offerings. And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of meeting, and came out and blessed the people. Then the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people, and fire came out from before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.(Lev. 9:22-24 NKJV)

GOD showed His glory to the people by descending on the tabernacle in the form of the cloud and by consuming the burnt offering upon the altar. This also showed GOD’s acceptance of their offerings and that they followed His commands properly. The people were so amazed and scared that they fell on their faces before GOD. All of these things were proper responses to GOD.

However, Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu then grabbed their censers and put fire in them to offer another sacrifice to GOD. They wanted to do something else for GOD. The Bible doesn’t tell us why Nadab and Abihu decided to offer this fire to GOD. Regardless of why, GOD did not accept their actions.

Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them. So fire went out from the LORD and devoured them, and they died before the LORD. And Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the LORD spoke, saying: ‘By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; and before all the people I must be glorified.’”(Lev. 10:1-3 NKJV)

Today we come near GOD by the blood of Jesus, but we must still ensure we give GOD the proper respect and glory due Him. We do this by obeying His commands and by humbling ourselves before Him.